SCHOOL OF ARTS AND AESTHETICS

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The School of Arts and Aesthetics offer post graduate and Rajput painting, 19 and 20 century popular culture,
degree courses in the theoretical and critical study of film, modern and contemporary art in India and elsewhere in Asia.
visual and the performing arts. It is the only academic place Theoretically-oriented and cross-cultural courses take up
in India where these disciplines are offered in one integrated issues such as the relationship between methods, materials
programme at the Masters level. The M. Phil programme and meanings in art, narrative strategies in art, and the
offers a specialized focus in each specific discipline. history and politics of art institutions, particularly museums.
At the SAA teaching is conducted by eminent scholars PROGRAMMES OF STUDY
who bring a perspective of a multi - disciplinary approach,
drawing on insights from the field of aesthetics, 1. Direct Admission to PhD Programme: Candidates
anthropology, history, media and cultural studies. The study will research and write a PhD theses in any of the
of arts in recent years have been enriched by methods, three streams offered at the School.
research and insights from many fields, namely, sociology, 2. M.Phil/PhD: The School offeres M.Phil programme in
linguistics, cultural studies, political science, economic three different streams – Visual studies, Theatre and
history, semiotics and feminist studies. The School’s outlook Performance studies and Cinema studies. Candidates
has been formulated in response to new ways of thinking seeking admission to the course are expected to have
about culture using a wide array of critical and theoretical a broad knowledge of the history, practice and
approaches. The students are introduced to a range of theories of film, visual, theatre and performance
research methods that combine archival, ethnographic, studies.
theoretical and cultural approaches and are encouraged to
create theory-practice interface. In the first two semesters the students will be required
to complete the course work, including one course on
The faculty encourages students to enhance cultural Research Methodology and one on writing the
exposure through participation and observing exhibitions, dissertation proposal. In the second year the students
theatre, film, dance, music festivals and field trips. The will be required to research and write their
school frequently hosts interactive sessions with eminent dissertation.
scholars and practitioners from within the country as well as
from the overseas, and also organizes varied outreach 3. MA in Arts and Aesthetics: The School currently
programmes to bring a large canvas of cultural influences to offers an integrated MA prgramme in visual, cinema,
each of the disciplines of art. theatre and performance studies. Students will be
required to complete sixty four credits in four
Resource Centre: The school has an advanced library and semesters. Of these eight are compulsory core
an archive of photographs, audio and video recordings. courses while the other eight are to be selected from
There is an expanding digital archive of each of the art the optionals offered.
disciplines. The use of multi media teaching is geared to help
students maintain live contact with performance, visual art
and film. Students are encouraged to undertake field trips,
learn documentation methods, to curate exhibitions in the art
gallery, film festivals on specific themes and observe
performance practices.
Disciplinary Streams:
The Cinema Studies Courses position the study of film
within the broader, complex and ever-widening networks of
the moving image. Students are encouraged to engage with
social, political, cultural, technological and aesthetic
questions related to a range of cinema/media forms. The
coursework deals with critical concerns related to the
historical role, function, circulation, reception and formal
inventions of cinema and the moving image. While the
courses on offer are international, the history of Indian
cinema remains a regular focus.
Theatre and Performance Studies offers a diverse and
comprehensive spectrum of courses covering the history,
theory and practice of theatre, dance, music and
performance, both within India and across the world.
Introductory courses are offered alongside a wide range of
optional courses in music and dance. Covering a vast time-
frame from ‘living traditions’ of rural performances in India
and bhakti to the cutting-edge developments in political
theatre, gender, globalization, and performance art, the
Department is committed to studying theatre and
performance both within established traditions of the stage,
as well as in relation to the immediacies and contradictions
of public culture at national and global levels.
Visual Studies: The visual studies courses cover areas of
conventional art history and high art practice as well as that
of popular culture and the larger visual field. The majority of
visual studies courses focus on aspects of Indian visual
culture, including shastric and aesthetic theories of Indian
art, ancient sculpture, medieval temple architecture, Mughal
 Master of Arts

Sl. Name of Centre Sub. Code & Sub. Code Intake Eligibility Viva/Non Course outline/guidelines Paper will
No. Number Viva be
subjective/
objective/
both
1 School of Arts & Arts & Aesthetics- SAAM 23 Bachelor’s degree under 10+2+3 pattern of education with at least 50% marks. Non-viva Candidates will be required to have broad knowledge of various Subjective
Aesthetics (SA&A) (235) disciplines of Arts and Aesthetics, especially related to the
Admission to the M.A. is through an Entrance Examination. history, practices and theory of visual cinema and performing art
traditions which would broadly include important aspects of
painting, sculpture, architecture as well as theatre, dance, music
popular culture and the related genres of arts. Though the main
focus will be on the traditions of Indian arts, candidates will be
expected to have general background in important universal art
practices. Two types of questions are to be answered in the
three hour test (1) questions requiring precise and short answers
and (2) essay-type questions with specified word limits.

M.Phil/Ph.D.
Sl. Name of Centre Sub. Code & Sub. Code Intake Eligibility Additional Viva/Non Course outline/guidelines Paper will
No. Number information Viva be
subjective/
objective/
both
1 School of Arts & Visual Studies- VSAP (163) 8 Masters degree in any discipline with at least 50% marks. P.G. holders of The test will evaluate the candidate's grasp of methodological

Viva–voce
Aesthetics (SA&A) (Admision to the M.Phil./Ph.D. is through a separate entrance examination for AYUSH related approaches, conceptual framework and theory of the arts in the
each of the three streams viz (i) Visual Studies (ii) Theatre and Performance subjects are also discipline that they wish to specialize in. (Separate entrance
2 Theatre & Performance 8 Studies and (iii) Cinema Studies followed by a vivavoce.) eligible to apply. examinations will be held for admission to the following Subjective
Studies- TPSP (164) three fields of study i.e. (i) Visual Arts, (ii) Cinema Studies
and (iii) Theatre and Performance Studies)
3 Cinema Studies- CNSP 8
(165)

Direct Ph.D.
Sl. Name of Centre Sub. Code & Sub. Code Intake Eligibility Additional Viva/Non
No. Number MS WS information Viva
1 School of Arts & Visual Studies- VSAP (163) 2 2 Only those candidates shall be considered for Direct admission to the Ph. D. Programme who have — P.G. holders of
Aesthetics (SA&A) (a) obtained 2 years M.Phil degree of a recognized University/Institution (with dissertation/seminar/Viva) or one year M.Phil. with additional one year research AYUSH related

Viva–voce
experience of a recognized University/Institution, and one publication subjects are
2 Theatre & Performance 2 2 OR also eligible to
Studies- TPSP (164) apply.
(b) at least two years research experience after Master's degree or diploma equivalent of Master degree as recognized by Govt. of India with research
3 Cinema Studies- CNSP 2 2 publication(s) comparable to M.Phil. standard. In addition, they should have obtained Master’s Degree with 55% marks or equivalent FGPA in 10 point scale/comparable
(165) standard where the grading is based on system other than 10 point scale.
(c) However, the School reserves the right to adopt additional criteria for shortlisting of the applications.